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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27706601">Creatures of habit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf'>Septic_wolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batfamily, Bruce you need to express yourself, Clark Kent mentioned - Freeform, Immortal!Bruce, Meta!Bruce, The shadows didn't mean to, Tim has a sad home life and I can't stand it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:35:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27706601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Septic_wolf/pseuds/Septic_wolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce shouldn't have gone out tonight. Bad things just seem to happen.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Darkness follows you [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908796</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Creatures of habit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a longer one. I hope you like it. I was making sure it was how I wanted to sound and look. Also, I apologize that I can't write Jason well. I grew up watching mostly Dick Grayson robin... I didn't get into much of the other boys until waaaaaay later. But I love them so much now, but that doesn't mean I know them well yet.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He should have stayed in tonight.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Thugs and common drug dealers weren’t much for Bruce. He sometimes wondered if he should just allow Tim to handle them alone while he hunted down the rogues when he knew that they were out and about in Gotham. Jason had suggested as much, offering to wander around with his “replacement” (read brother). Bruce wasn’t too sure about it, as Jason had flipped out last week when Joker got out… but he was calm now. He understood his second eldest. The rage that the Bat felt when it came to the clown was almost unfathomable. But everyone had redemption within them, even madmen like the Joker.</p><p>            Should his madness be cured… Would he and his sons see a man?</p><p>            It was something that Bruce thought of often when it came to the worst of the crime lords. Rogues. Men and women who stood out amongst the other grunge that Gotham had to offer and smiled at the pain of others. Bruce knew their faces in pain, he’d caused it himself before. Now… Now Bruce felt as if it weren’t fair even for him to face his own rogues. They were human. Something that was mortal and feeble. Death was possible for them and their families would lose them, or someone who truly cared for them.</p><p>            <em>Who cares for them? </em></p><p>            If Bruce could put to face the people who care for the Joker, who only wish what is best for him, well… He would very much like to meet them. He almost felt at his wit's end when it came to the man himself.</p><p>            “Batman?” Bruce turned his head to take in his Robin. The boy, a teenager, was crouched over the edge of a building. His head was facing Bruce, though he knew that he was still monitoring the men that were moving beneath them. They’d been staking out this warehouse for a delivery of drugs that were meant to be sold in a week’s time in the narrows. Jason had given them the tip and had taken Dick with him to stake out the other warehouse that was a few blocks away. For the most part, it had been a quiet night…</p><p>            “Keep watching.” His gruff was met with a small scoff, but the boy didn’t look all that peeved with him when he turned back around. Bruce thought for a moment of the boy’s actual parents. With Dick, he’d often wondered if they would be proud of the man that he had become if they would have approved of Bruce taking care of their son. (He didn’t dare to think what they would have thought of Bruce allowing Dick to become Robin.) With Jason, he mostly wondered about Catherine, and how she might have felt knowing that her boy didn’t starve every night, was warm, had a family that didn’t think he was worthless. Would she have cried?</p><p>But with Tim… Jack and Janet Drake oftentimes seemed to not think twice about the life they had brought into this world. The wonder that he was, is. The good he could bring to the world if they nurtured it correctly. He was a genius, kind, and overworked himself to the point that Bruce had to admit to drugging the kid with a sleeping aid. (Alfred had done it too on occasion.)</p><p>            <em>But they didn’t even bat an eye when Bruce offered to watch Tim when they were away on their trips. </em></p><p>            It was something that still bothered Bruce to this day. The Drake’s hadn’t been back for a solid six months and planned to be gone another three. Nearly a full year at a dig site. They were going to miss Christmas, and New Year’s. Thanksgiving had come and gone…</p><p>            A van pulled up to the warehouse. Tim seemed to stiffen up, anticipating the fight that was to come for them in the coming minutes. Then Bruce saw something that only brought him dread. <em>Venom.</em></p><p>            He recognized the sickening green of the serum that often-meant Bane was nearby or a part of the scheme in general. Bruce prayed that it meant that Bane was only getting a shipment, not actually present at this specific warehouse. “Seems they have a lot of that stuff in there,” Tim murmured, binoculars out now to get an even closer look. “These guys are big… Though that’s never stopped us before.” Bruce, more than once, wondered what it was about the Robin suit that brought out the optimism in his sons. Each one of them had that quirk when they were his partner for their time.</p><p>            “These men hopefully don’t use what’s in those boxes themselves. Otherwise, you’d be sitting this one out.” Bruce growled his <em>Batman ™ </em>growl. <em>Damnit, Dick.</em> He wasn’t sure how, but he could feel Dick screaming <em>“Trademark”</em>.</p><p>            Tim glanced back at him. “I won’t let them touch me if I can help it. I have a test Monday, and I would rather not have to explain to my teacher why I have a bruise on my face, or have a bad enough injury to miss it.” Bruce agreed with that and took off from the rooftop. The men were now all inside.  </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            From the roof, Bruce had to wonder how all these warehouses afforded to have sunroofs, they could see the men finishing up with their collected pile of <em>Venom.</em> They were talking amongst themselves; Bruce could hear snippets of their conversation. “How’s Shay?” “Alright for the most part, still doesn’t let me stick around the whole night.” “Thought about a ring?” “When I can’t even get her to talk to me during daylight? Please.”</p><p>            “Think Shay will still ask for a booty call when he gets out of Blackgate?” Tim whispers, but Bruce doesn’t offer a reply. <em>No.</em></p><p>            Bruce feels a slight shift in the shadows beneath his feet, giving him a warning. Bruce stiffens up, eyes scanning the area and noticing the vibrations of the shadows in the right corner. Bane.</p><p>            Bruce looks to Tim who also notices the rogue emerging and starts to take a step back from the window before stealing himself. Bruce would have to take on Bane himself, but… These men were big. Bigger than the usual henchmen. Bane liked to surround himself with strongmen who could almost do as much damage as he could and would handle the small fry so that he could focus on the more major hit. “If it gets too much for you, get to the rooftops as quickly as possible and call over Nightwing and Red Hood. They’ll be able to help out.” Tim nodded and braced himself. Bruce didn’t blame his apprehension.</p><p>            With a quick calming breath Bruce breaks through the glass like a phantom, the shadows beneath him expanding to create a far more frightening image of the bat as he descended upon the men with a fury. Tim wasn’t far behind, the shadows helping to conceal the boy until the right moment of his attack. Bruce glanced around for Bane, trying to track where the man was, but he was surrounded in mere seconds by henchmen. Bruce growl to himself more than anything and felt the shadows start to expand around him. They were ready for anything.</p><p>            The fight raged on, Bruce went through four men with some ease, noting how some of them tripped over seemingly nothing and falling into his fist. Knocking themselves out. Bruce hadn’t the faintest clue what had happened until he noticed the extension of his shadow. It was shifting, and warping. Angered and pissed. Bruce was sure the shadows were just mad at the idea that these genuinely wanted to harm him.</p><p>            It was honestly a cakewalk with the shadows help. Blinding. Tripping. Sticking them in place. Bruce thought this might be the luckiest night of his life… If he hadn’t gotten himself distracted. “Batman!” Tim’s cry caught the Bat’s attention immediately. Tim was being lifted off of the ground by Bane, who was charging up with his drug currently. Grinning like a madman.</p><p>            “Seems you’ll lose another bird tonight, Batman!” Bruce’s eyes widened when Bane grabbed Tim’s arm, snapping it before Bruce could so much as move. Tim cried out in pain. Bruce was sure that there were tears coming out underneath the domino mask. Bruce wanted to rush at Bane, but he knew that would be a mistake. Tim would die almost instantly the moment Bruce took a step towards the man.</p><p>            Tim cried out again, Bane had released his arm and was starting to move towards his legs. Bruce didn’t think…</p><p>            He didn’t think…</p><p>            They moved on their own.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            <em>Bruce didn’t think. </em></p><p> </p><p>           </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            The hole was a comfort, but he didn’t bother with it tonight. In fact, he was in the sunroom. No shadows insight. He’d put it on the setting that just put out light from every corner and didn’t allow for darkness. No UV rays. He just… Needed to be away from them for now.</p><p>            Tim was with Alfred. Getting his arm set. Getting the blood washed off. Drinking tea. Dick and Jason were still out and about patrolling. But Bruce didn’t think that he could put the suit back on right now. He didn’t think he’d be able to go out tomorrow night either. But that was a decision for future Bruce. Right now, Bruce just wanted to sleep. Forget.</p><p>            “Master Bruce?” the billionaire opened his eyes and looked at the butler. “Might I inquire as to why you’re in the brightest room in the cave and not at your usual haunt in the wall?” Bruce only stared, kept quiet. From the door he could see the black masses swirling, wishing to be let in. He turned away from them. There was a soft sigh from the old gentlemen, “Right then.”</p><p>            Sounding dejected Alfred left the sunroom and left Bruce alone for a little while. Bruce didn’t want to explain what had happened; he’s not even sure Tim knew what occurred to get him free from Bane tonight. <em>The shadows had planned to murder Bane.</em> They’d done it without a command from Bruce, but they did a lot of things without Bruce’s consent. He shuddered to think how much worse it could have been having he not called out for them to stop.</p><p>            Tim limply falling into his arms, setting him aside to try and stop Bane from bleeding out. The medics who were actually able to stem the blood. The look from Gordon, concerned. He didn’t stick around. He was pretty sure Alfred would burn the suit that had Bane’s blood on it. <em>He nearly died because of me.</em></p><p>            When Jason and Dick both got back, he could hear them ask where he was. To say that they were surprised was an understatement. Dick wandered in not shortly after. “Hey B.” His eldest took a seat on the bed, body shifting so that he was facing his father. Bruce was sure that Jason was checking in on Tim before also wandering into the sunroom. <em>Or he’ll let Dick handle all the emotional “garbage” like he usually does. </em>Bruce curled tighter to himself but didn’t move to allow any shade. Keeping the light on him. He didn’t know the extent to what the shadows could do, he didn’t want to risk it. “What happened B?”</p><p>            Bruce kept quiet.</p><p>            They sat there for a while. Not sure how long, but enough that Jason finally came. “I don’t know how but the cave feels darker with you in the sunroom,” Jason muttered, sitting next to Dick on the bed. “What’s got you in here anyway?” The way he asked reminded Bruce of their rooftop conversation from a few nights ago. <em>“I wouldn’t be so persistent if it wasn’t a concern that could lead to consequences later.” </em>Look at where that got Bruce.</p><p>            “The shadows.” <em>Frick.</em> Bruce threw his face towards the mattress. Wishing he would scream to stop himself from saying anything else.</p><p>            “The shadows? Like… The league of shadows?” Dick inquired.</p><p>            “No…”</p><p>            “Color me confused.” Jason sighed, crossing his arms before seeming to mule over a few thoughts running through his head. “This happen to be the thing you couldn’t <em>tell </em>me a few nights ago? You know B, I would appreciate it if you could stop these revelations from happening when something big has come down for you to be hiding away in the sunroom of all places. What, are the shadows attacking you? Trying to absorb you into them?”</p><p>            “More like wanting to just protect me by any means necessary, and by extension anyone that I care about,” Bruce muttered. The two older boys with him were quiet, and Bruce turned to catch his eldest’s eye. Dick seemed to be surprised and was staring at Jason who was blank. Bruce knew better. Jason wasn’t happy.</p><p>            He was proven right when a moment later Jason took off his helmet just to glare at Bruce. “So you have possessed shadows following you around and you didn’t think to tell any of us? Does Tim know? Alfie? Hell, did you tell Clark?”</p><p>            “Clark knows.”</p><p>            “Well isn’t that a **cking miracle?! You actually told someone, but that doesn’t change the fact that your team, your FAMILY didn’t get to find out from you until they seemingly nearly killed someone tonight?!” Bruce’s eyes widened. <em>They couldn’t have known. </em></p><p>            Dick held up a placating hand. “Gordon talked to us. Told us to tell you that Bane survived. He’ll be in the hospital at Blackgate and will be transferred to Arkham tomorrow night. We just figured we’d… Let you tell us first before telling you we already knew.” The dark knight didn’t know what else to say to that. <em>Bane was alive. The shadows hadn’t killed him. </em>He wanted to sigh in relief, he’d still be able to get through to the man and get him the help that he needs.</p><p>            “Thank you, Dick,” Bruce murmured, sitting up slightly. He was weary, but Bruce could feel that the shadows were starting to get worried, and desperate. He didn’t want to know what desperate would entail. “I… Let me…” Bruce got up from the bed and shuffled towards the door. He reached for the handle. “I think it’s time that I showed you, boys, what I mean when I say shadows.” With that, Bruce stepped out and felt the instant relief. But the quaking fear…</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            He didn’t think.             </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The ending feels weird, but that was for a purpose. You'll see in the next chapter. </p><p> </p><p>Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. <br/>Leave a kudos  <br/>And drop a comment, I'd love to hear what you thought! :) </p><p>Stay safe, stay sane, and have hope for tomorrow</p></blockquote></div></div>
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